Bully’s Acre

Can you imagine a place in Dublin where thousands of people were buried for over a thousand years? You are standing in that place right now. Bully’s Acre is a former cemetery located near the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. It was the main graveyard for Dublin for centuries. Even Brian Boru’s son and grandson are believed to be buried here. While many were buried in the cemetery for free, it was not just for the poor. Many people from all walks of life were buried here. The cemetery was often the site of rowdy gatherings, with fighting and drunkenness.
In the 1700s, General Dilkes tried to turn the cemetery into a botanical garden by leveling the graves and spreading lime over the area. But the locals protested, tearing down the wall around the cemetery.
Body snatchers were a constant threat, as the cemetery did not have a high wall. They would often steal bodies to sell to surgeons. The infamous resurrectionist Peter Harkan, however, was caught by the cemetery watchmen while attempting to find corpses. He died during the struggle.
In 1832, a cholera epidemic ravaged Dublin. Thousands died, and were buried in Bully’s Acre. It was closed after that and today remains a haunting reminder of the lives that were lost.